


Which Brings Us Back To

by Pares (kormantic)



Category: due South
Genre: Hugging, Kissing, M/M, neck nuzzling
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 1999-07-23
Updated: 1999-07-23
Packaged: 2018-09-14 13:13:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,210
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9183241
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kormantic/pseuds/Pares
Summary: The fine art of hugging.





	

**Author's Note:**

> For Janis, with kind thanks to Iain and Te.

"Doe," Fraser murmured.

"A deer!?" Ray craned his long neck to peer past the broad brim of the Mountie's hat. He could make out the narrow legs and curved neck of a soft-eyed animal, almost invisible in the late light of a Chicago afternoon.

"A female deer," Fraser agreed.

"Right here in the middle of downtown traffic? How'd it get _here_!?" Leave it to Fraser to find a living embodiment of an American expression. 'What'd you do today Ray?' 'Well, I helped a wolf and a Mountie track a deer in headlights.' His whole life was becoming one long, bad fairy tale.

"Ray--" The doe bounded off into an alley, and at Diefenbaker's questioning expression, Fraser nodded, spurring the wolf to surge forward in pursuit.

"Don't," the cop held up a long-fingered hand. "I swear to you, if I hear you say 'a drop of golden sun' I'm not gonna be responsible for my actions."

"I'm afraid I don't follow you, Ray."

"I refuse to be an extra in the Technicolor musical spectacular that is your life."

"Yes, of course, Ray." And Fraser set a placating hand on Ray's shoulder.

"Stop being so nice to me," Ray griped.

"I really don't think I can do that."

"Well, try anyway."

"I... If that's what you truly want, I could _try_  to be less friendly in my interactions with you. But I'm afraid I may not be very convincing."

"You're right. You're about as good at lying as you are at staying out of trouble. Go ahead," Ray sighed, his tone long-suffering. "Be as nice to me as you want."

"Thank you kindly, Ray." Fraser sounded both relieved and satisfied.

"Why do you always want to be so nice to me for, anyway? I'm not always so nice to you, Benny," Ray pointed out.

"That's untrue, Ray. You are at times impatient with me, perhaps even brusque, but you are never intentionally unkind. You are a good friend, Ray."

"Okay, so maybe I'm your friend."

"Oh, there's no maybe about it, Ray," replied the Mountie with a steadfast shake of the head.

Ray gave in and let the smile he'd been hiding slip.

"You're a good friend, too, Benny. The best."

The other man's even features were alight with pleasure and pride at this admission, and Ray's smile widened.

After a moment, Fraser stepped forward and pressed his chest to Ray's, carefully folding his arms around the thinner man.

Ray's chin was hooked over Fraser's red-coated shoulder, and his olive eyes were wide and panicked.

"What the hell are you doing!?"

"I'm hugging you, Ray. It is an embrace that shows affection and mutual regard."

"I know what a _hug_  is, Benny. What I wanna know is _why_  you're hugging me."

Fraser continued to hold his friend, spine straight, arms stiff, tentative.

"Well, because too often I allow these moments to pass by without demonstrating my warm feelings for you, Ray. You are my best friend, after all."

"Well, that's all fine and good, Benny, but most guys don't do a lot of hugging. Not even Italian guys. And anyway, you're doing it wrong."

Fraser pulled away slightly, to see Ray's face.

"Wrong?" And he sounded uncertain.

"Yeah, wrong. I'm your friend, not an electric fence. If you're gonna hug somebody, ya do it right or you don't do it at all."

Fraser looked genuinely discomfited.

"I mean, you've got the right idea," Ray amended quickly. "But you gotta loosen up a little."

Fraser rolled his shoulders and softened his spine.

"Hey, there you go, that's good," Ray enthused.

With an interrogative murmur, Fraser relaxed still more, jostling Ray slightly and tightening his arms.

Ray couldn't see the other man's face, but he suspected Fraser's eyes had fluttered closed. And, yep, _that_  was _definitely_  a sigh of contentment.

This was nuts. Ray was ten seconds from shoving Fraser off and declaring the hug over, maybe with a tirade about hugging time limits for good measure.

But Fraser was now nearly boneless against him, hanging on Ray like a raincoat drips from a coat rack, and somehow Ray turned his head and mashed his nose against the white column of Fraser's throat, and before he knew it his lips were pressing, _moving_  against Fraser's sweet, fine-grained skin and... oh, brother, we got trouble now--

Fraser tensed against him, and Ray froze instantly.

"Ah. Ray? What are you... What are you doing?"

I can tell him it's an Italian thing, a Chicago thing, whip up a story about gangsters or cop traditions, Ray thought wildly.

"I'm uh... I'm... Aw, hell, Benny. I have _no_  idea."

He tried to draw away, but Fraser held him still, carefully turning his head to nuzzle at Ray's long neck, mirroring Ray's own actions.

Ray was trembling by the time Fraser's reasonable, soothing voice filled his head.

"Perhaps we would come to a better understanding if you... kissed me, Ray."

"Oh, man, Benny. Benny. Benny, listen to me--"

But Fraser had tipped his head to better angle for Ray's mouth, and any attempt at explanation was lost in a long, dizzying moment of supreme warmth.

After a while, Fraser obviously felt obliged to speak, despite Ray's eminent preference for more kissing.

"I feel... an abiding... tenderness for you, Ray. A depth of feeling I have seldom experienced, accompanied by a rather bewildering... well, I can only describe it as... an attraction."

"A _sexual_  attraction?" Ray, as always, pressed for specifics.

In an effort to clarify his statement, Fraser suggested instead, "A desirous passion?"

" _You_  feel a... a 'desirous passion' for me!?"

"Yes, Ray. I most assuredly do."

"Holy shit!"

Fraser finally let go of him and Ray stumbled backward, clapping his hands to his temples.

"Ray, I would understand if you did not return these feeling to the same degree..."

"No, I mean-- _holy shit_!"

"I'm afraid that in this context, Ray, that I don't quite understand you mean by that... that vigorous exclamation." Fraser sounded entreating, and Ray felt his heart stammer in his narrow chest.

Steadier on his feet now that his knees weren't buckling, Ray leaned forward and clutched at Fraser's shoulders.

"You mean that?"

"Well, yes. I _don't_  understand what the term 'holy'--"

"No! No, I meant what you said before. You're confessing to a deep and abiding passion for me, right?"

"Right." And Fraser hesitated a moment before brandishing a thumb in a gesture of hearty approval.

Ray gave a little see-sawing laugh of disbelief. He clapped a hand against the other man's smooth cheek.

"You're unbelievable!"

"On the contrary, Ray, I do my utmost to be truthful and reliable in every undertaking--"

"Hey, Fraser, shut up a minute, will ya?"

The blue eyed man paused to take a quiet breath and Ray spoke quickly.

"I'm gonna kiss you now, okay? It would kinda help if you tried to be a little quieter," he explained.

Before Fraser could answer, Ray chose his moment, and made his move.

They were still speechless and absorbed when Dief returned, the doe trailing him with delicate steps. After a polite interval, Dief continued on to the Riv and curled up inside it, the doe patiently browsing the few blades of grass that she found in the cracking sidewalk.


End file.
